New Delhi: Union minister Smriti Irani and Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya on Tuesday awarded 12 women to recognise the transformational impact of work undertaken by them across India’s villages, towns and cities.

‘Women Transforming India Awards’ was launched by Niti Aayog last year in partnership with the UN in India and MyGov.

“Change begins from you and these 12 wonderful women achievers have exemplified this,” the Textiles Minister said at the award ceremony held here.

The awards received 3,000 entries from across the country.

The awardees included goat veterinarian Sunita Kamble for creating alternative livelihood opportunities for women, Raji Borthakur for creating a smart glove which can predict epileptic seizures before they occur, Safeena Husain for her work to transform girls’ education in rural areas and Arunima Sinha for being India’s first amputee to climb Mount Everest.

A jury comprising former foreign secretary and ambassador Nirupama Rao, Indian Olympian P T Usha, Wing Commander, Indian Air Force Pooja Thakur, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya, and UN Resident Coordinator Yuri Afanasiev undertook a rigorous process to shortlist 12 top awardees from awe-inspiring stories of women change-makers across India.